Single-use or disposable systems are rapidly increasing in biopharmaceutical industry due to the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of such systems. Disposable components in the systems are presterilized and qualified to regulatory requirements. Disposable systems are easy to adapt to different production purposes and it is easy and inexpensive to change a product line while good process reliability is at least maintained, if not even improved.
There are several kinds of mixing systems in which disposable containers or bags may be used. One type of such mixing system is a bioreactor in which cells or microorganisms can grow. Mixing systems are also used to prepare for example buffer and media. The mixing systems may comprise a vessel which houses a disposable bag or container. The vessel may have a form of a cylinder, for example substantially circular cylinder. The bag is placed inside the vessel in an accurate manner so that for example different pipelines, mixers and sensors can be connected to the bag properly and accurately. US2011/0310696 shows a mixing system of this kind.
To be able to place a disposable bag inside a vessel in an accurate manner, an easy access inside the vessel is important. The vessels may vary in size and can be adapted for bags of from about 20 liters up to about 2000 liters. Especially large mixing vessels housing a bag of the disposable type require a very large floor area, which may be a limiting factor. Therefore, there is a need for an arrangement that provides an easy access to the inside of the vessel in a space-saving manner.